Could the Eurovision Song Contest be coming to Darlington in 2023?
The market town’s council leaders certainly hope so, and have officially launched a bid to host the singing competition, which was won by Ukrainian act Kalush Orchestra this year.
While Eastern European country earnt the right to helm the extravaganza after taking the top prize, they were ruled out by the event’s organisers due to the ongoing Russian invasion.
Instead, the UK are doing the honours, after coming in second place with singer Sam Ryder, but the exact location has not been decided by the BBC, which is taking charge of the long-running show.
In the meantime, cities such as Manchester, Glasgow, Brighton, Sheffield and Birmingham have been vying for the gig and now Darlington wants a slice of the action.
Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen, who oversees the County Durham town, confirmed during a council meeting on Wednesday they’d offered up their services.
Pointing out Darlington had secured the likes of BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend and the Rugby League World Cup 2021, Mr Houchen said: ‘We may be the underdogs that people frequently underestimate but we’ve consistently proven them wrong.
‘Whatever the outcome, our bid sets out our stall and shows we have the ambition, facilities and vision to do things a few years ago we wouldn’t have even thought about.’
Mr Houchen stressed they ‘stood in solidarity’ with Ukraine and promised, if the bid is successful, the town would throw a ‘fantastic’ show the war-torn country would be ‘proud of.’
It’s not clear where exactly Darlington would welcome the 26 countries that take part in Eurovision, but rugby stadium The Darlington Arena has previously seen performances from A-listers such as Sir Elton John and Sir Tom Jones.
Whatever the outcome, music fans do not have long to wait as the official shortlist of the places in the running to host the international concert will be announced tomorrow.
As well as the location, the presenting gig is up for grabs, with famous faces such as Rylan Clark and Scott Mills being suggested for the iconic role.
Other names include veteran broadcaster Graham Norton, who has been providing spot-on commentary each year since taking over from Terry Wogan back in 2009, and Love Island winner Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu.
Fans reckon the Turkish actress would be a fab fit for the job, and could draw on her theatrical past as both a soap star and a pop singer.
The Eurovision Song Contest will air on BBC One in 2023.
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